Suspect Charged In Delray Beach Carjacking And Attempted Murder

Delray Beach — Police have charged a Boynton Beach man in the attempted murder and carjacking of an elderly Delray Beach couple.

Shamsiddin I. Saleem, 22, is accused of shooting and robbing Russell Keegan Sr., 82, outside his home around 7:30 p.m. Monday in the 1100 block of Boxwood Drive. Keegan's girlfriend, Gertrude Stern, 90, was also injured in the attack.

Saleem was charged with attempted murder and carjacking and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

At least two men attacked the couple. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests may be made, police spokesman Jeff Messer said. Both victims are recovering at Delray Medical Center: Keegan with a bullet wound to the neck and Stern with a broken hip.

Saleem emerged as a suspect, Messer said, through tips from the public and help from other police agencies.

"He was interviewed by [Delray Beach] detectives and admitted to having a role in this incident and implicated others," Messer said.

Saleem has a criminal history that includes guilty pleas for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and fleeing and eluding police, state records show.

Keegan may have been trying to protect his girlfriend from the pair of robbers when he was shot outside their condo building at Pines of Delray East, police said.

The couple had just finished dinner Monday night at China Gardens on Military Trail, and Keegan was dropping off Stern in the condo parking lot where they both live. It was their last meal together before Stern was to leave to spend the holidays with family in Atlanta.

That's when two robbers jumped them and stole Keegan's 2000 Buick LeSabre. Police found the car Tuesday morning on Douglass Avenue in West Palm Beach.

Police said the couple stopped at an ATM on their way home and apparently were followed, but it's unknown if they were followed from the restaurant. There was no surveillance video from outside the restaurant.

Police say the robbers drove a "newer-model, shiny-red truck."

Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

Jerome Burdi can be reached at jburdi@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6531.